Chapter 1 (Published version)

first chapter of my published novel Chariots of Heaven

CHAPTER 1

 

 

Kira’s hair fluttered gently in the cool breeze, and the light of the full moon shone in her hazel eyes. She began to rub her arms, letting out a shiver as the cold air moved across her smooth skin. Despite the cold, she loved looking up at the night sky. Something about the way the stars floated silently in the heavens seemed to call to her, and although she couldn’t explain it, she knew there was more to them.

She was alone in this sentiment, however, as no one else in her village seemed to care about the lights in the sky; except perhaps her sister. No, they rarely seemed to worry about anything besides food or danger or displeasing the spirits.  What a silly thing to worry about, she thought.

Nothing in her seventeen years of life had convinced her that these so-called spirits existed. Yet her village believed that everything in life was determined by their favor and even claimed that long ago, they had come down from the sky to create her people in their image. What an irrational idea! She thought to herself. If these spirits held such power, then why hadn’t they healed her father?

Her father was the village elder, and had been taken with a mysterious illness. She had spent the majority of the last week at his bedside, trying to nurse him back to health, but nothing seemed to work. As she stared up at the heavens, she wondered what her mother would do if she was still alive. She would probably comfort her and reassure her that everything would be okay, but sadly, this was not possible.

Breathing in the cool autumn air, Kira remembered back to her mother’s passing. She had died several years earlier after being brutally attacked by a sabercat on a night similar to this one. Kira remembered the look of the vile beast as clearly as if it had been yesterday.

Pushing the painful thoughts from her mind, she tried not to cry. Her thoughts drifted back to her father, who despite her care only seemed to be growing sicker. Worst of all, his ability to communicate had left him.  When he spoke to her now, his words were nonsense, and his conversation only served to confuse and frighten her.

The village shaman asserted that the spirits were punishing her father, because he had let the last hunting party go without heeding his warnings. She detested the man, but even she had to admit that the last hunting expedition ended dreadfully. They were almost immediately caught in a terrible storm which prevented them from finding any game. What was worse was that her uncle Druin injured his ankle during the trip, and one of the others became deliriously sick, the way her father was now. He had gone to visit the sick hunter, and had become ill the next night, collapsing during the nightly storytelling. When he briefly came around several hours later, he spoke three words to Kira; three words that continued to haunt her days later. “They are coming.”

Who was coming?  She wondered to herself. Who had he been speaking of? Was there another village coming to attack? She dismissed the thought, knowing that wasn't it. Out of fear the elders had sent out scouting parties to check for invaders. There were no invaders… no one was coming.

The other villagers believed it was just his delirium from the fever and had decided to ignore his words, but she couldn’t. When he spoke the words to her, he pulled her close and looked her square in the eye with a terrified expression that shook her to her core. He had not been delirious the way he was now. He knew exactly what he was saying and that she needed to hear the words, but what did they mean?

Kira shook her head and pushed the thoughts away as her little sister walked up to her. Kaya looked very little like Kira, with long sandy blonde hair and green eyes. She was a tall and lanky girl, standing almost as high as Kira. Only thirteen, Kaya also seemed older than she was; being more mature than Kira had been at that age. Kira suspected that it was the harder living conditions that had made her sister that way. When Kira was a girl, life was relatively easy; it wasn’t until Kaya’s second year that the droughts began, and the food became less plentiful. What was worse was that their mother died the very next year, adding grief to the starved conditions.

“Why do you stare up at them so much?” Kaya whispered as she stopped next to Kira. “Do they ever do anything different?”

Looking down at her, Kira smiled lovingly, “I stare at them because I believe I am supposed to.” Pausing for a moment, she realized she had never said that to anyone before. She didn’t really know what it meant, but it was something she always felt. Maybe her father’s illness was affecting her more than she thought.

“How do you know?” Kaya seemed confused.

“I don’t know, I just… know. It’s always been something I’ve felt. Just like I’ve always felt that you were supposed to be my sister.” With her worry diminishing, Kira gently punched Kaya in the arm.

“Ow!!” It didn’t really hurt, but Kaya pretended it did anyways as she rubbed her arm. “What do you mean? Like the spirits decided it?”

Kira took a moment to consider this. Shrugging she said, “Maybe… all I know is there is something really important about those lights up there, and I think that I’m supposed to find out what it is.” This time Kira pinched her sister and took off, running back towards their hut. Kaya giggled and chased after her.

 

* * *

 

Slightly out of breath, Kira was the first to make it back to their hut. Having almost forgotten about her father’s condition, she stopped short at the entry. Her sister, also lost in the moment, nearly ran into her and both of them had to stifle their laughter before they could go inside.

Kira adored her sister. Most of the time, they seemed more like friends than siblings, although this was probably a result of the fact that there weren’t many other people in the village around Kira’s age.

This was also the reason Kira had not bonded with a man. She was more than old enough for the ritual, but there were no boys her age. This, however, didn’t bother her as she’d never really been too concerned with bonding; an effect, most likely, of her mother’s untimely death. She never really had an older female to spend time with, except maybe Yamara, her father’s cousin and the village wet nurse. At the request of their father, Yamara kept a watchful eye over the girls after their mother’s death, but was far from a mother herself.

Once the girls collected themselves, they quietly entered the hut. It was hot and stuffy inside, and seemed to get warmer as they approached their father’s bed. He was still sleeping, but his breathing was labored; every few moments letting out a whimper, as if he were in pain. Yamara was sitting next to his bed, holding a damp cloth to his head. By the looks of it, his fever still had not broken, and the concerned look on Yamara’s face told them that he was getting worse. Exchanging worried looks, they sat on the floor next to Yamara.

“What can we do?” Kira asked.

“Child, I’m not sure there is anything anyone can do.” Yamara replied, shaking her head in disappointment. The sisters exchanged disheartened glances. “I am afraid to say it, but I think your father is only going to get worse. Conran, the sick hunter your father visited, is also getting worse and I’m not sure he will survive the night. All we can do is beg for the spirits to hear our prayers and heal your father.” Yamara finished with a grave look.

Tears began to well in Kira’s eyes and she could see that her sister was also starting to cry. She knew that she had to be strong for Kaya; strong like she had been when their mother died. Wiping the tears from her own eyes, she put her arm around Kaya and pulled her close. She tried to comfort her by running her fingers through Kaya’s long blonde hair, but the young girl’s tears turned into labored sobs. The tears started to well in her own eyes again as she wondered to herself, what would they do? How would they live without their father? Kira felt angry and helpless.

“I don’t want him to die!” Kaya gasped between her sobs. Pushing away from the embrace, she looked to Kira. The tears streaming down her cheeks were almost too much for Kira to bear. She wanted to comfort her, wanted to say he would be okay, but she couldn’t find the words.

“Now, you two.” Yamara stood up and with a frown said, “Dry your eyes. You know your father wouldn’t want you worrying about him, and it’s time for bed anyway. There’s nothing either of you can do right now besides let him rest. We’ll worry again in the morning. Off with you!” pulling both of them to their feet and waving her hands as if she were chasing a chicken out of the yard, Yamara shooed the girls off to their beds.

Neither one said anything as they crawled into their beds. The day had been long and trying for both of them and it didn’t take long for either of them to find sleep. Before Yamara left for the night, she made sure each girl was tucked in; covering them with additional furs. Putting out the small fire that had been burning in the hearth, she departed.

As the light diminished inside the hut, soft sounds of sleep could be heard behind her. It would be the last time in a long while that either of the girls would get a decent night’s rest.

Author's Note

Already published so no need for edits. Just looking for tips to improve my writing as I'm currently working on the second book in the series.